The Mediterranean Diet: Give Love to Your Heart and Mind!

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching!  Folks are running around (or safely online ordering!) flowers and candy.  While these are traditional expressions of love to your “special someone,” how about giving your love (and yourself!) the gifts of a healthy heart and mind?

Introduce them to the benefits of adopting a lifestyle-enhancing way of healthy eating called the “Mediterranean Diet.” Though probably not viewed as very romantic, your loved one will know that your “heart” wants to be with theirs for a long, happy, and healthy life. It’s called the “Mediterranean Diet” because many people in the Mediterranean region of Europe (Spain, Italy, and Greece, for example) have a lifestyle of eating the healthy foods associated with this diet.

The Mediterranean Diet has been researched and vetted as one of the best overall heart-healthy eating plans globally.  An article from the Mayo Clinic notes that the Mediterranean Diet’s benefits for improving and maintaining heart health, plus an overall healthier lifestyle, cannot be overstated.  Their research has shown that the diet reduces the risk of heart (cardiovascular) disease, lowers “bad” (LDL) cholesterol, and is associated with a reduced occurrence of cancer, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s diseases.

The article discusses:

• The benefits of the Mediterranean Diet
• Key components of the diet (i.e., fruits, veggies, nuts, whole grains, fish, poultry, red wine (in moderation!), limiting red meat, using herbs, olive oil, and spices when cooking)
• “Healthy” fats
• Exercise (which is always important)

I’ve personally adopted many aspects of this into my eating. I don’t consider it as a “diet,” but as a lifestyle change – for the better!  Incorporating this eating style (along with cutting way back on sugar!) with exercise, I’ve been able to shed unwanted pounds, and I feel better not only physically but mentally!  One of the best books I’ve read about the Mediterranean Diet and its’ benefits are called “The Mediterranean Diet Weight Loss Solution: The 28 Day Kick-Start Plan for Lasting Weight Loss” by Julene Stassou, MS, RD.

“The Complete Mediterranean  Cookbook” is another excellent resource for Mediterranean Diet recipes, and more!

 

In an online March, 2016 brief article from the Harvard Health Letter (“Mediterranean diet beats low-fat diet for long-term weight loss” ), the authors discuss that overweight and obese people lost an average of 9-22 pounds in their study over the course of a year. 

In a September 2020 special supplement (“Preserving Brain Health Through a Heart-Healthy Diet”) of Tuft University’s Health and Nutrition Newsletter, they talk about the importance of a heart-healthy diet to maintaining and preserving a healthy brain:

“The brain clearly needs the heart: without the steady beat pumping blood throughout the body, the brain would not receive the oxygen and nutrients it needs to function.  Beyond this very basic dependence, there is a growing understanding of the interconnectedness of these two most essential organs, and how the health of one inevitably impacts the health of the other.”

The article also discusses the effect of severe stress on the weakening of the heart muscle (stress cardiomyopathy).  Like the Mediterranean Diet’s benefits, the article talks about the healthy brain and body benefits of incorporating a diet that closely mirrors the Mediterranean Diet. 

I invite you to seriously consider the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet.  Give (and get) the gift of a healthy lifestyle through a lifetime of healthy eating!